Traction Power Specialist

SYSTRA Canada; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SYSTRA Canada is a leading engineering and consulting firm offering railway and transit infrastructure expertise. The Traction Power Specialist will drive design and technical delivery across substations, distribution, protection, and interfaces with OCS and utilities.

The role requires strong leadership, detailed design capabilities, and experience across all project phases from scoping to commissioning. Hybrid work arrangement and safety-focused delivery are emphasized.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in traction power design for LRT, metro, or rail systems.
• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in Electrical Engineering, licensed in Ontario.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of the traction power system architecture for the SRS scope, including substations, distribution, and protection.
• Define traction power design criteria and performance requirements.
• Oversee engineering studies: load flow, short-circuit, harmonic, protection, and selectivity.

Skills

Leadership

Coordination

English communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Job description

SYSTRA Canada is part of the SYSTRA group, an international consulting and engineering group, a world leader in the design of transport infrastructures. SYSTRA Canada is an engineering and consulting firm whose primary focus is to offer transportation solutions, whether for passengers or goods: feasibility studies of building a new railway line, increasing the capacity of the existing infrastructure, privatization of a railway.

Understand better who we are by visiting www.systracanada.com.

Context

The Traction Power Specialist is responsible for leading the design and technical delivery of the traction power system for the SRS scope, ensuring that substations, distribution, protection, and system interfaces are fully integrated and meet project requirements. The role also supports the full project lifecycle, from design development and technical coordination through construction, testing, commissioning, and safety certification.

Missions/Main Duties

• Lead the design of the traction power system architecture for the SRS scope, including substations, distribution, and protection.
• Define traction power design criteria and performance requirements.
• Oversee the development of engineering studies, including load flow, short-circuit, harmonic, protection, and selectivity studies.
• Coordinate interfaces with the OCS, grounding and bonding, civil/guideway, and hydro/utility providers.
• Review and validate calculations, drawings, and technical specifications.
• Support construction and field installation by providing on-site technical clarifications.
• Witness and support testing activities, including factory, site, and integration testing.
• Provide commissioning oversight, including energization planning and system cutovers.
• Support safety certification activities, including the preparation of technical evidence and coordination with safety assessors.

Profile/Skills

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.

Years of experience: Min. 15 years of experience in traction power design for LRT, metro, or rail systems.

Technical Competencies

• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in Electrical Engineering, or equivalent, licensed in Ontario.
• Strong knowledge of traction power substations, traction power distribution systems, protection systems, and stray current control.
• Demonstrated experience in traction power system studies, including load flow, short-circuit, harmonic, protection coordination, and selectivity studies.
• Proven experience across all stages of traction power system design, including utility coordination, medium-voltage distribution and TPSS interfaces, feeder and negative return systems, and electrical connections to the OCS for mainline and yard operations.
• Familiarity with applicable railway, electrical, and safety standards.
• Proven ability to apply or interpret the following standards, or recognized equivalents:
• EN 50122-1 — Electrical Safety, Earthing, and the Return Circuit
• IEEE 1653.x Series — Traction Power Substation Equipment
• EN 50121 — Railway Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
• Experience in the following project delivery phases:
• Requirements definition and technical scoping
• Preliminary and detailed traction power design
• Field installation support and on-site technical clarifications
• Witnessing and validation of factory, site, and integration testing
• Commissioning oversight, including energization planning and system cutovers
• Safety certification support, including evidence preparation and coordination with safety assessors
• Clear verbal and written communication skills in English.

Personal & Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and coordination skills in multidisciplinary project environments.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to manage technical interfaces and prioritize competing project demands.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to engineering quality and safety.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with internal teams, clients, utilities, contractors, and assessors.

SYSTRA Canada is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that values applications from all and offers employment equity based on the merits and abilities of candidates and personnel.

Note: In this description, the masculine gender is used for easy reading purposes and includes the feminine.

We use AI-enabled tools in our recruitment platform (iCIMS) for tasks like resume parsing and candidate matching. These tools do not make hiring decisions; all applications are reviewed by a human recruiter, and final decisions are made by our hiring team.

For questions about our hiring process or AI tools, please contact [email protected].

Workplace Type

Hybrid